I don’t mind them around this area because they grow rather sparsely, but in some places they will crown out everything else. They get obnoxious in flower beds too because they get pretty wide and crowd out the flowers.

They are a widespread invasive, worse, I’ve read, in some areas more than others.The adult plant can get 8 feet tall and it’s not pretty at all. The younger stage is quite attractive, or at least I think so.

I guess I’ve never thought of them as ugly, though the flower stalks onece they get old aren’t exactly attractive. And I didn’t realize they are invasive, though I know they tend to take over in places where the soil has recently been disturbed (recently logged areas, etc). They are actually a valuable medicinal herb.